Cartier Tank Basculante (Ref. 2386), 1990

Dealer description — Craft & Tailored

It's common knowledge that the Cartier Tank is one of the most iconic watch designs of all time, and other than some more eclectic references produced has remained relatively the same over its long run of production. The Cartier Tank was originally designed in 1917 and became commercially available in 1919, and its design was inspired by the Renault FT-17 tank used by the French Military in the First World War. Although the Cartier Tank appears to have remained the same for the course of its design life, there are some interesting anomalies that happened during its production run that resulted in very collectible and very rare timepieces. The first Tank Basculante Mécanique was released from Cartier in 1932. At the time, it was a miraculously thin mechanical watch for Cartier (or any brand) to produce. The original Basculante housed a 2.1mm 610 calibre, which was made by Piguet. Similar in style to the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, which was released a year prior, the Basculante is said to provide better protection to the face of the watch when reversed and in contrast, uses a swinging inner frame as opposed to JLC's sliding track style reversing mechanism. The Basculante also hosts the crown at the 12 o'clock position, and still reveals Cartier's signature sapphire cabochon no matter which direction the dial faces. The namesake comes from the French word, bascule, which appropriately translates to 'seesaw'. The Cartier Basculante ref. 2396, is an updated version of the original and is powered by a reliable quartz movement and would make for the perfect dress piece for a man, or a stylish accessory for a lady! Stock # CTRTB2386 Brand Cartier Style Tank Basculante Model 2386 Serial 48XXXXX Size Men's/ Unisex Material Stainless Steel Dial White Millimeters 22x32 Bracelet 2pc Cartier Crocodile Leather Strap W/ Original Cartier Buckle CASE & BRACELET The stainless steel case is in good condition and shows appropriate use for its age. The reversed side of the case is in excellent condition. All caseback engravings are still very crisp and legible. Comes on a crocodile leather Cartier strap with the original buckle. DIAL & HANDS The ivory dial with black lacquered numerals is in excellent condition and reveals almost virtually no signs of age. The hidden Cartier logo is located in the 10 o'clock marker. The blue steeled hands show no signs of degradation or age. ACCESSORIES None. Watch is keeping time and functioning perfectly, previous service history is unknown.